Plus: Samsung will reclaim the top global smartphone spot from Apple this year, per Counterpoint Research. And Chinese-owned EV-maker Polestar says it was blindsided by U.S. ban. Julie Chang hosts.
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[00:00:01] Here's your afternoon TNB Tech Minute for Monday, August 24. I'm Julie Chang for The Wall Street Journal. Taiwan prosecutors charged nine people, including former NVIDIA and Supermicro computer employees, with helping ship advanced AI servers to China. Eight faced charges, including breach of trust and forgery, while one was charged in connection with allegedly siphoning funds from a company involved in the case. Per the prosecutors, the defendants had said the servers wouldn't be sold or exported to U.S.
[00:00:30] sanctioned entities and that the hardware would comply with U.S. export control regulations. Ultimately, 74 servers reached China via Hong Kong, Japan, and Indonesia, while Taiwan Customs intercepted another 56. Supermicro said it isn't a target of the probe and hasn't been accused of any wrongdoing. NVIDIA didn't respond to a request for comment on the indictments.
[00:00:53] Samsung will reclaim the top global smartphone spot from Apple in 2026, as its shipments grow 0.8%, supported by its broad portfolio and supply chain, while Apple's are projected to drop over 2%. That's according to a forecast by Counterpoint Research. Overall market shipments are projected to fall more than 14% due to rising component costs and weaker purchasing power. The firm expects tough conditions through next year with recovery starting in 2028.
[00:01:23] And we exclusively report that Chinese-owned EV maker Polestar told American dealers in a letter last week that it was blindsided by a Commerce Department decision from June barring it from the market. The Trump administration is implementing a new rule targeting Chinese connected vehicle technology over spying concerns. Polestar is the first automaker to be effectively blocked from the country under the rule. The EV maker said it received no explanation for why it must cease U.S. sales while corporate
[00:01:53] cousin Volvo cars can remain. Both companies share a majority owner and two models are produced on the same South Carolina line using identical hardware and software. Polestar noted that the Commerce Department had previously indicated it could stay. The Commerce Department didn't respond to requests for comment. For a deeper dive into what's happening in tech, check out Tuesday's Tech News Briefing Podcast.